A different childhood
by Nefertari Tonks
Summary: Harry lives with his sister Hermione and his parents on the outskirts of London. He would be a perfectly happy five year-old if it wasn't for his nightmares getting worse. A week away from starting school he finds out about the faithful night that is his dream's subject and Harry and Hermione learn a secret that changes their whole world...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I'm merely writing this because I thought it would be an interesting variation of the story and I couldn't find any existing FanFics that depict it.

A/N: English is not my mother tongue so I apologize for any wrong usage of vocabulary or grammar mistakes, please correct me if you find any. Also I have read all the books but I don't remember all the facts and details exactly, so feel free to point any mistakes out to me and I will be happy to adjust the story!

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Prologue

A knock on the door jerked the old man out of his thoughts. "Come on in, Severus", the door opened and a tall man with dark greasy hair and black robes strode purposefully into the room. His face was void of any emotion but if you looked very closely you could see sheer agony in his eyes. "Severus, I am deeply sorry for your loss, I can't imagine", the old man started rising from his armchair but the newcomer cut him of mid sentence his voice controlled so as not to let any of his pain show: "No you can't. It is my fault she died and mine alone. I do not wish to discuss this any further but I'd prefer you not beating about the bush and telling me why you called me here" Dumbledore sighed deeply and sat back down gesturing the other man to do the same. Severus sat down across from him and expectantly looked him in the eyes.

"I shall do as you wish but only once Minerva has arrived for I do not wish to explain the matter at hand twice. Aah, but it seems you won't have to wait long after all. Come on in, Minerva". While he was talking the door opened yet again and a rather stern but excited looking witch entered the office. "Good evening, Albus. Severus", she said already sitting down next to the latter talking fast as if she couldn't wait to hear the answer to her question: "Are the rumours true?" The old man looked pained for just as second before his face went back to his usual peaceful and slightly amused expression both visitors knew so well. "They are, though I am ambivalent as to how I should feel about it. Yes, the Dark Lord has been defeated and although we didn't deem it possible it seems he has been defeated completely and forever. But it is also true that this victory came at a very high price; James and Lilly died tonight and their infant son Harry was left an orphan who will always be reminded of the night his parents died every time someone asks him about this night. And they will ask for they already celebrate him as the boy-who-lived".

For a few seconds silenced filled the room. When Severus spoke, Minerva who had been lost in her conflicted emotions was startled: "I understand why you are telling Minerva this but it doesn't account for my being here since I already knew about this. So I ask again: What is it you called us here about?" "Well as I just explained young Harry has no family whatsoever left, so a home for him has to be found. The both of you are here because I highly value your opinions and I hope you can help me make a decision. I have already thought about the matter at hand excessively and it has become clear to me that Harry should not grow up in the wizarding world if we don't wish him to grow up with everyone he meets, excuse my language, sucking up to him. His only living relatives left are his aunt and uncle, muggles who live in a small town with their son, and I already approached them about taking in the young boy but they refused, wanting nothing to do with 'our lot' as they called it. So you see we have quite a predicament at hand and I would be grateful for every suggestion on how to solve this problem".

Minerva frowned already thinking about what the headmaster had said but Severus looked taken aback: "Why do you think I care about what happens to Potter's son? You cannot seriously beli..." Dumbledore cut him off calmly. "I don't expect you to care about James' son but I was quite sure you would care about Lilly's". Both men stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds until Severus looked away, the pain that could have been seen in his eyes now showing on his whole face. "Have you thought about an orphanage?" he asked trying to get his mimic back under control. At this Minerva spoke up agitated: "You can't simply put Harry Potter into a Muggle orphanage! Conditions there are supposed to be awful!" "I completely agree with you, Minerva. An orphanage is not acceptable", Dumbledore supported her. "Well, with what does that leave us then?" the witch asked perplexed.

"A muggleborn" Severus said very quietly. As both his interlocutors gave him a questioning look he continued: "Well as the headmaster pointed out he shouldn't grow up in the wizarding world so that only leaves Muggles. His aunt and uncle won't take him in, an orphanage is out of the question and having him adopted by a normal Muggle family would be unwise because the circumstances should be explained to the family for them to be able to care for all the boy's needs. For all we know he watched his mother die and is traumatized by it. So the only reasonable solution is to find him a family in the Muggle world who can know about magic but doesn't have anything to do with our world, yet. So we should look for Muggle families with magic children, who won't attend Hogwarts for at least another five years, that are willing to take in another child."


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thank you for reading! It was hard for me to think like a five year old so they might seem older sometimes. I hope it's not too weird! Criticism is very welcome!

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Chapter 1

"Harry, Harry, wake up! Mom, he's doing it again!" The familiar voice together with someone shaking him woke him up. His heart was beating like crazy, he was covered in sweat and tears were streaming down his face. Over him stood his sister looking relieved; she smiled at him and wiped the tears from his face just as their parents hurried into the room. "Are you okay? What happened?" their mum frantically asked. Harry got himself together enough so he could answer but Hermione was faster than him. "He had another one of his nightmares. I woke up from him screaming and saw that he was throwing himself around in his bed so I tried to wake him and called you. Are you okay, Harry?" He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. And they aren't so much nightmares as in different ones because it is always the same one. I hear a woman scream and a green light flashes and then there's this awful mean laugh that doesn't even sound completely human and I just feel like something really horrible is happening and like nothing is ever going to be okay again.", Harry explained his voice trailing off at those last words. He just couldn't shake the feeling of sheer terror that seemed to fill his bones. When he looked up in hope off a hug he couldn't help but notice his parents sharing a knowing glance before Hermione, knowing him so well, wrapped her arms around him. "I will never let anything happen to you. You're my little brother and my best friend and you're safe with me." She smiled at him reassuringly and he hesitantly smiled backed. It didn't happen often that Hermione played the big sister card for most of the time they acted more like best friends than siblings. She had even refused to start primary school two weeks before her fifth birthday last year because they had wanted to go to school together. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" dad asked sympathetically while mum looked at them with an encouraging smile. He nodded. His heartbeat had slowed to a normal pace again and his sister's words had dispelled the feeling of terror. They were a team and together they could manage everything. "Alright. We'll talk about it more in the morning." Mom gave each of them a kiss on the forehead before tucking Harry in. Dad lifted Hermione up and carried her over to her own bed, "Good night and sweet dreams" and they closed the door behind them.

The next morning Harry woke up well-rested, the night's horrors banished from his thoughts by a deep dreamless slumber and the bright morning sun shining through the window. After putting on his glasses he saw that his sister had already gotten up as usual. She was such a morning person unlike him who usually slept almost until noon if no one woke him up. Stretching his arms he yawned and got up.

20 minutes later Harry sat at the dining table eating some cereal while looking through one of their new schoolbooks with Hermione. "I can't wait to start school next week and learn all this stuff!" she said joyfully. He nodded heavily. "I can't wait to really learn to read! I mean I can make out easy stuff just like you but really read! All those books in dad's library about just everything! Do you think we can read all the books in there before secondary school?" Although they both were unusually smart for their young age they still were five years old and mere children. "If we try really hard I bet we can!" Hermione enthusiastically took up the challenge. It never occurred to her that some of their father's books might be too hard for primary school students to understand; after all they were Hermione and Harry! They had been the first to count to ten in kindergarten!

Before they could continue fantasizing about school their parents stepped into the room and joined them at the table. Their serious faces immediately gave them their children's full attention. "Harry, we think it is time for us to tell you something very important. We didn't tell you before because we thought it would be too hard for you to understand or simply too much but since you're having your nightmare more frequently we decided to tell you now."

"If you mean that I am adopted we figured that out months ago... I mean I don't look the least bit like **anyone** in our family."

They both looked shocked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well it's not like I ever felt less like a part of our family because of it. And I just figured they didn't want me anymore so why should I want them?"

The last part came out in a sullen tone that contradicted his words. At this mum's eyes swelled up in tears. "Oh Harry, how could you ever believe that? No, your parents loved you very much. They didn't just give you away because they didn't want you! How do I start this now?" She looked at her husband at a loss for words. He frowned for a moment, thinking, and then he spoke. "We better start at the beginning. It all started with your parents being witch and wizard"

Sometime later Harry's thoughts raced through his head. _His parents were dead. So they didn't not want him after all! But they had been killed by an evil wizard who failed to kill him. A wizard! His parents had been magical. Did that make him a wizard too?_ And then something occurred to him. "But with all this how did I end up with you? You're not magical, are you?" Mom shook her head. "No, we are what wizards call Muggles, non-magical people. After you're parents died we were approached by a woman who introduced herself as deputy headmistress of Britain's only school for magic. You have to know that we weren't able to have a second child but desperately wished for one. She told us about magic and the wizarding world and that, well..." When her words failed her, dad jumped in. "She told us that you, Hermione, were what she called a 'muggleborn'. A witch with non-magical parents. They thou..."

" **I'm supposed to be a witch?** " Hermione suddenly called out.

"Yes, you are a witch. We couldn't believe her either but she explained that there was a Ministry for Magic and they had every child on registry that had ever performed any magic. You were on that registry because you, being two years old, had unknowingly performed a levitation charm seemingly to get your favourite toy from a high shelf."

Their mother continued explaining, "They thought that it would be best for Harry to grow up away from the wizarding world because he is famous there for surviving the killing curse and being the reason for the evil wizard's defeat. We had already thought about adopting another child but when they told us about Hermione being a witch we thought that it would be best if her sibling was magical, too."

"So I am a wizard!" Harry shouted out at that. He and Hermione looked at each other.

"Magic! Can you believe it?"

"I'm not sure. I always thought magic only existed in stories but it somehow **feels** true, doesn't it?"

"I know what you mean. It's like I knew it before but had just forgotten!"

Harry turned back to his parents – well adoptive-parents but he hadn't started thinking about them that way when he and Hermione had first figured out that he was adopted and he surely wouldn't start now.

"But didn't I have any other relatives? Like grandparents?"

"Well..."dad started out hesitantly, "you're mother had a sister, but she and her husband hated magic and wouldn't take you in."

Hermione suddenly spoke up: "Well I think it was all the better for it. They probably would have been awful to Harry, making him sleep in a cupboard or something! And if they had taken him in we would have never met him!"

She turned to her brother who looked very small and sad. "Don't ever feel bad about them!" He gave her a weak smile. "I don't, it's just that, well, I would have liked to know some things about my birth parents. What kind of people they were and everything. Do you think we could write my aunt and ask her to answer a few questions about them?" The last question had been directed at his father who immediately got up from the table.

"I will look up her name right now!" He had already moved away when he turned back around and engulfed both his children in a tight hug. "We love you both very much. No matter if adopted or not, magical or not. You will always be our children and you could never disappoint us!"

Three days later, on Wednesday afternoon, a large parcel arrived at the Granger house on the outskirts of London. Mrs Granger had just come home from work and immediately called Harry into the kitchen upon reading the return address:

Mrs Petunia Dursley

4, Privet Drive

Little Whining, Surrey

She instantly opened the packet to find a letter on top addressed to her:

 _Dear Mrs Granger,_

 _I did not mind your request for some details about Harry's parents for I have long felt guilty about not taking the boy in. My husband has always been very adamant about ignoring the very existence of magic and I mostly agreed with him. I regret to inform you though that I know very little about Harry's father but will happily write everything I know. As far as my sister goes I never saw her after she moved out of our parents house but I found some old belongings of her in our storage and enclosed them in this package. I hope they will give you some answers I can't provide._

 _Before I start writing down everything I know I want to thank you and your family for adopting Harry and giving him a loving home. I very much enjoyed your letter and will sleep lighter now because my guilt has lessened eminently knowing that he had a better childhood with you than he would ever have had with us._

 _Harry's birth name was Harry James Potter after his father James Potter. I think I remember my sister mentioning that his family was very old and reputable in their world._

 _Her name was Lilly Evans, later Potter. She was a kind soul and never said a bad word to me about being mean to her. When we found out that she was a witch our parents were very proud and accepting but I was jealous of her. She went off to Wizarding School and we hardly talked from that time on. She and James met at school and got married shortly after they graduated._

 _I am sorry for knowing so little._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Petunia Dursley_

Harry came running into the kitchen the moment she finished the letter. "Hey mom, what is it?" Hermione – of course – followed close behind. Those two were literally inseparable.

"This parcel is from your aunt. She says your original name was Harry James Potter after your father James Potter. Your mother's name was Lilly Potter, born Evans, and they met in school. She didn't remember much more because she and her sister weren't close but she sent you some of your mother's belongings she found." The kids stepped forward curiously and finished opening the parcel. They looked at each other for a moment then started unpacking it.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I still can't believe someone is actually reading my story! Thank you so much! I am so sorry that it's taking me so long to update but my classes started up again and I had some exams which I had to study for a lot. I'll try to be faster next time, but net values and phase diagrams aren't exactly a great source of creativity...As always: pleeeease leave comments so I know what I do wrong! Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 2

It was the best parcel the Granger household had ever received. Not only where there about 20 diaries but also some schoolbooks, all with the name _Lily Evans_ neatly written on every first page.  
Not being able to read fluently Harry and Hermione had their mum read parts of the books to them. It was _fascinating_. Charms and Transfiguration. Potions and Herbology. Defence against the Dark Arts. It wasn't like they had imagined school at all but they had been imagining Muggle school for their whole lives after all. Harry found himself especially fascinated by the Potions books. His fingers were itching to follow the instructions read out by his mother.

When Mr. Granger came home from work two hours later he found his family lying on the floor in the living room, his wife reading aloud from an old-looking book, their kids on either side of her listening eagerly and straining their necks to look at the pages. "Well hello to you, too." He said jokingly. All three were so captivated by the book they hadn't even noticed his arrival and he wasn't even surprised by it. Those two children were the most bookish five-year-olds he had ever met. At the sound of his voice the two of them jumped up from the floor and started speaking excitedly, both at once and so fast he hardly understood anything. "There's something called an Anima-", "and it says that you can...", "and I wanna try it as soon as I-"He laughed. "Stop, stop! Remember, one at a time and at a pace and old man like me can follow." They grinned. He always said that when they spluttered on about something. So, as always, Hermione talked first.

XXX

The next morning Harry woke up way too early. It was only three o'clock and he tossed and turned but he just wouldn't go back to sleep. So the boy gave up and turned his bedside lamp on. After putting on his glasses he silently got the first of his mother's diaries from his desk and crawled back into his bed. He looked at the small notebook in his hand. What if it revealed her to be a horrible person? Could he live with that? Harry furrowed his brows. He had seen his dad doing it whenever he was thinking hard about something and thought it might help. 'Well, I'll just have to see. Knowing is better than worrying about it' He decided and opened the notebook. Deciphering the first page took him a while. His reading was quite good for someone who hadn't started school yet but he was still very slow at it. Apparently his mother had started the diary when she was seven years old. A boy from her neighbourhood had apparently rattled her so much when he called her a witch that she had decided to write it down.

Hermione turned to lie on her back, yawned and stretched her arms and legs. It was her waking-up-ritual and she wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Sunlight tickled her nose and she opened her eyes. She jerked up, surprised to see her brother sitting in bed squinting his eyes at the small notebook in front of him like he always did when he was reading. A few of his birth mother's diaries were lying on his nightstand and he seemed to be almost done with the one he was reading. "Harry! Did you sleep at all?" He looked up at her, his eyes red from concentrating too hard but he looked very happy. "She was nice!" Hermione frowned. "Why shouldn't she have been? Did you expect her not to be?" "Well, it scared me a bit. She's my mother after all and who wants a mean mother?" She scrambled out of her bed and went over to him sitting on his bed with her legs crossed. "Do you want to tell me about her?" He nodded. "The first one was from when she was seven. She had met a boy who told her she was a witch and she was really confused. But they became really good friends. It says here that he was from a wizarding family and told her stories about the Ministry of Magic and magical beasts and Hogwarts. This one here –", he held the notebook in his hands up, "is about them receiving their Hogwarts letters and starting school and –", at that moment the door to their room opened and their dad poked his head inside. "What are you two doing up already?", he asked in surprise. Harry looked guilty and started to explain: "Well, I woke up real early and I just couldn't stop thinking about my mother's diaries just lying there, waiting for me to read them. So I kinda just read until now" Their dad looked at him sympathetically but when he spoke his voice was reprimanding: "Are you telling me you were up half the night? You know the rule about mornings: No recreational activities before eight in the morning! Only because you'd sleep until noon every day, if we let you, it doesn't mean the rule doesn't apply to you!" Harry now looked wracked with guilt. "I'm really, really sorry, dad! I **promise** I won't do it again!", he averred jumping up from his bed. With his next sentence he lost the forcefulness behind his voice and the last words were barely audible, „I was just so worried that she was mean."

A look of surprise on his face Keith Granger kneeled in front of his son taking his small hands into his, now talking softly: "Harry, it is natural for you to be curious about your birth parents but you have no reason to be worried! They were without any doubt flawed, just as any human being, but they died as heroes. And even if you'll someday find out that one of them might have been 'mean', always remember: You're not defined by your birth parents. You are your own person and neither your birth parents, nor mum and me determine your actions. Only you can choose to be mean. Or not to. It is entirely your choice what kind of person you want to be." He looked his son deep in the eyes as he said this, trying to convey how important his words were. Harry swallowed hard, nodded and fell into his father's arms, who hugged him tight for a second before extending one arm to invite Hermione into their embrace. She immediately moved in and they stood there, hugging, for quite a long time.

XXX

Three days later Harry had finished all the diaries having his parents read parts of them to him so he would make progress faster. There had been great emotions involved. Harry had refused to accept that his father was a bully and sat in the garden for three hours not talking to anyone. When the pages continued to speak of his birth mother's discontent towards James Potter Harry seemed to shrink in his seat but then remembered his dad's words. He wouldn't define himself through his birth father. When they read about Lily's best friend Severus becoming meaner with every school year Harry felt sad for him. He was convinced that the boy was just trying to cope with James' bullying. When they came to the point where Lily had poured out her heart about her big fight with Severus that ended their friendship, Harry was furious. _How could he say that to her? She always defended him!_ He had yelled out. It had taken his mum fifteen minutes to calm him down explaining how people often say things they later regret when they are hurting. And at last Harry was incredibly relieved, reading about his father getting nicer and stopping his bullying.

The diaries ended with Lily's graduation from Hogwarts. Harry just having finished the last diary sat still for a while. They both had turned out to be good people. Even if it had taken his father 17 years to figure it out. The little boy tried to be happy about it but he couldn't shake a gnawing feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. He knew that his father had died fighting the evil wizard but did his heroism in the end make up for all the bad things he had done in his younger years? Those were quite mature thoughts for a five-year-old but the Grangers had raised their children to fundamentally believe in what was right and what was wrong and Harry just **knew** that bullying was wrong. For all he knew Severus and Lily would have stayed friends and the boy might have grown up to be a better person if he hadn't had to go through so much in his youth. He turned around to look at his sister, sitting at the desk drawing something. She always knew what to do.

XXX

When Severus Snape received an owl on a mild evening in early September he didn't think much of it. He went to sit in his armchair but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the sender's name. Bewildered he went to sit down and with a frown he opened the letter and started to read.

 _Dear Mr Snape_

 _My name is Harry Granger but I was born as Harry James Potter and you knew my birth parents. You are probably wondering why on earth I would write to you. Well, here it is:_

 _One week ago my parents told me about being adopted, the wizarding world and the night of my birth parents' death because I had grown scared about a returning nightmare that I now know to be about said night. Because I wanted to know more about my birth parents we contacted my birth mother's sister Petunia Dursley who then sent us a package full of Lily Potter's old belongings. Among them were many diaries of hers that she had written during her school time. After reading all of them I now know that you played a big role in her childhood and during her early years at Hogwarts. You were her best friend for a long time. I don't know if you ever read these diaries or to which extend you knew about the deep friendship she felt for you, so I will have my mother copy some pages from the diaries and include them in this letter._

 _But now to the real reason of my letter: The diaries also spoke of my birth father's, James Potter's, behaviour towards you. More specifically his frequent bullying.  
I can't even begin to express my deep regret and shame about this. In the name of my father I would like to very much apologize for any pain and embarrassment he caused you. Please know that I will do everything in my power to make up for his wrongdoings and should there be anything you need that I could help you with, please never hesitate to ask for it. _

_I don't expect you to reply to this letter but I would be delighted to read anything you want to write me. I very much hope you accept my apology and are able to get some closure and put his bullying behind you if you weren't able to do so up to this point._

 _Yours sincerely_

 _Harry Granger_

For a moment he sat there completely overwhelmed. He hated that boy! He was living proof of his worst memories and mistakes. James Potter's son! He could only be as exceedingly arrogant and obnoxious as Potter had been.  
But there in his hands he held a short letter that was proof of the boy being quite the opposite. At only five years old he had decided to apologize - almost submissively - for something that he hadn't even done himself. How could the son of James Potter show such a wilful ignorance for his pride in favour of someone else?  
And then it hit him. Not Potter's son but **Lily's**. This behaviour was so much like her that he couldn't believe he hadn't realized it right away. And then he remembered something Dumbledore had said to him a long time ago. _'I don't expect you to care about James' son but I was quite sure you would care about Lilly's'._

For hours Severus Snape sat in his armchair reading and re-reading the letter and the attached copies of diaries he never thought he would ever see, an emotional turmoil raging inside of him.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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Chapter 3

 _6 years later, one day in July_

"They're here, they're here!"

Harry, startled, sat up straight in his bed not quite realising where he was and where that noise had come from. But then the words seeped into his sleepy brain. _They're here_. Their letters! They had finally arrived! He grabbed his glasses from his nightstand, jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs. In the hall he was greeted by Hermione's wide grin and a letter she held in her outstretched hand. "What took you so long?" she teased him as he took the heavy envelope from her. He mumbled something incomprehensible and walked past her into the dining room. His sister followed him and they sat down at the table facing each other.

"Would you just open them, please?" their mum cried out exasperated nervously wringing her hands. "Mom's more nervous than we are" Hermione said jokingly to her brother and they laughed but finally broke the purple wax seals on their envelopes and pulled their letters out. Harry read his out aloud:

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF**

 **WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

 **Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

 **(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

 **Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

 **Dear Mr Potter,**

 **We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Furthermore you will find instructions on where you can buy school supplies and how to find it as well as on how to get to the school train at the beginning of term.**

 **Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

 **Yours sincerely,**

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 **Deputy Headmistress**

Their mum let out a small squeak of joy and jumped up and down in excitement for her children but immediately stopped when she saw Harry's expression. When he spoke he sounded confused. "Why would they call me Mr Potter? You legally adopted me. I'm Harry Granger, not Potter." He looked as though he might cry. "I'm just as much part of this family as Hermione is, aren't I?" he asked his mother his voice breaking slightly.

Elisabeth immediately pulled him into a tight embrace and gave him a kiss on his hair. "Of course you are, honey! No one would ever think otherwise!" She said reassuringly. Hermione chimed in. "I think it's because you're kind of famous in the wizarding world. Mum and dad said that when they told us about it and Severus also mentioned it a few times. And they always refer to you as Harry Potter because only Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Severus knew that we have adopted you. So I bet it's just a matter of habit. The latter said that they 'await our owl', so when we send them our answer we just include a note that you're name is Granger and that you would like to be addressed with that name. I'm sure they will respect it." Harry freed himself from his mother's embrace and looked at his sister thoughtfully. "You think so?" She nodded heavily and Elisabeth gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Alright then." He gave in a small smile appearing on his face again. "When will we go to Diagon Ally then?"

"Well I thought we could go on your birthday."

XXX

On the morning of his birthday Harry woke up early excited to finally see Diagon Ally. He had been aching to see it since he had first read about it in his birth mother's diaries. He stretched pleasurably and put on his glasses. A look to Hermione's bed proved his presumption that his sister had already gotten up. The boy hurriedly went through his morning routines and went down to breakfast fifteen minutes later ready to leave.

The moment he stepped into the dining room his family started singing 'Happy Birthday' and a big chocolate cake with eleven burning candles on top of it sat in the middle of the dining table. Next to it were a few presents and a small parcel. He grinned widely. When his family finished their song they came up to him and one after the other hugged him and wished him a Happy Birthday then they all sat down at the table. Harry blew his candles out and Elisabeth helped everyone to a piece of cake. "Who's the parcel from?" Harry asked around a mouth full of his delicious cake. "Severus, I think. An owl brought it about 20 minutes ago. I still can't believe I'm saying that." His mother answered him cheerfully. Intrigued, Harry looked at the small package again. Savouring his next fork of chocolate cake he thought back to the first and only time he had met Severus Snape in person.

He had come to their house a week after they sent him the letter via Professor McGonagall since she was the only person in the wizarding world they knew how to contact. He had hardly said anything, simply staring at Harry, his face void of any emotion until Elisabeth had nervously started to make conversation. She had told their visitor about the text books they had been reading and how Harry seemed to be particularly interested in Potions. At this the man had abruptly turned to look at her. 'What did you just say?' he had demanded with a shocked face and when she had repeated it he had stared at Harry again, agony in his eyes. 'Your mother loved Potions. We both did.' Harry had had no idea what to answer so he had stayed silent and after a few seconds Severus Snape had continued tears shining in his eyes. 'She was an exceptional person.'

With this he had stood up and left without another word. A few weeks later an owl had brought a letter for Harry. It hadn't said anything about the man's sudden departure but only said that he would be willing to keep up a correspondence with Harry and answer any questions he had about the wizarding world and especially potions.

"Harry, dear, do you want to open your presents now?" his mother interrupted his train of thought holding Severus' parcel out to him. His face lit up and he took the package from her ripping the paper. A letter fell out and revealed a book called 'Asiatic Anti-Venoms'.

"No way!" he yelled immediately recognising the title. It had been referenced in some of the other potions books he had already read and he had asked Severus in his last letter whether he thought it would be a good addition to his library on the subject. He picked up the letter that had fallen out of the parcel and ripped it open eagerly.

 _Dear Harry_

 _I wish you a happy birthday and hope you enjoy 'Asiatic Anti-Venoms'. You asked about it in your last letter and to answer your questions: Yes, I believe it is a well written treatise and anti-venoms are a very import part of the science that is potion-making. Every self-respecting aspiring potions master should learn how to make them but more importantly he has to learn to deduce which anti-venom is needed._

 _I suspect that you and your sister have received your Hogwarts letter by now. I congratulate you. But I must admonish you to treat me formally when you get there. I will be your Professor and Head of Slytherin House. Nonetheless I am curious to see whether your enthusiasm regarding Potions remains in the theoretical realm or if you will show any talent in the practical application of your knowledge._

 _Again I congratulate you on your birthday and wish you a pleasant day._

 _Severus Snape_

XXX

Two hours later the Granger family walked down Charing Cross Road looking for The Leaky Cauldron.

"There it is!" Harry pointed to a shabby looking building with a sign out front. "It doesn't look very inviting, does it?" Hermione asked sceptically but their parents squinted and rubbed their eyes. "I don't see anything. Elisabeth, you?" Keith asked his wife but she simply shook her head.

"The letter said you wouldn't be able to see it." Hermione pointed out. "We just have to take you by the hands and lead you inside, no worries." They did as Hermione explained and as soon as they stepped through the door - Elisabeth and Keith thought it was a rather weird experience to see their child open an invisible door - the two adults' eyes widened for a room magically appeared around them.

Hermione thought the interior looked just as uninviting as the exterior but Harry went straight up to the bar and addressed the man behind it.

"Excuse me, sir, but my sister and I are first-year Hogwarts students and it said in our letters that someone here could direct us to Diagon Alley?" Tom, the barman, looked at him surprised, not used to seeing muggleborn first-years without a Hogwarts Professor to show them to Diagon Alley. Then the boy ran his hand through his hair - nervous because the barman took so long to answer, had he said something wrong? - and Tom spotted the scar on his forehead. He dropped the glass he was wiping and stammered nervously: "O-of course, Mr Potter. Please excuse my rude behaviour. What an honour to meet you!" And he hurried out from behind the bar and shook the boys hand enthusiastically. Harry was too stunned to answered and merely looked at his mother in search for some help.

She stepped forward clearing her throat and friendly smiled at the barman. "Thank you for the warm welcome. But would you be so kind as to show us to the way to Diagon Alley? I'm afraid we have a lot of shopping to do today and are already a bit behind on schedule."

The man blinked twice before her words seeped into his brain and he scrambled to do as asked. "Of course, of course. A lot of school supplies to buy. Follow me." And he led them to a small door in the back.

When they all had stepped through they were standing in a small backyard that was surrounded by a brick wall. The barman took out a wand and Harry and Hermione strained their necks to get a better look at it - excited to see a wand for the first time. But then they were distracted when upon having the wand tapped on it the wall started to move!

It opened up an archway revealing a street full of weirdly dressed people, cheerful children running around and pretty shops with the most peculiar merchandise. One offered dragon dung for 10 sickles the pound while another store window showed only what seemed to be a simple broom but many young people where crowded around admiring it. Then the siblings spotted Flourish Blotts, a book store, and immediately tried to walk towards it but their parents caught them and practically had to drag them away from it towards a big marble building at the end of the street with the name Gringotts written across it.

When they stepped into the grand hall of the bank they saw two long lines of counters with odd looking creatures working behind them.  
Harry whispered to his sister. "Eehm, Hermione. What _are_ those?"  
"I'm not sure but I think they are Goblins. They fit a description I read in one of Lily's books but I can't remember reading anything about them working at a bank." she whispered back eyeing one of the bank employees carefully.

They looked a bit lost standing there in the middle of the hall and so they were approached by one of the - probably - Goblins.  
"Good day, sirs and madams. Can I help you with something?"  
"Ehrm yes. My name is Keith Granger, our two children Harry and Hermione here are starting at Hogwarts and therefore we need to exchange some money please." Their dad said pushing the two forward a bit. The Gobling looked them over and his eyes seemed to widen for a second when studying Harry but when the boy blinked they were back to normal. Then the banker nodded and directed them to a counter.  
"You can exchange muggle money for wizard gold at this counter. If Mr Potter wishes to draw something out of his vault he has to bring his key to one of the counters over there." The Goblin pointed to the other side of the room before slightly bowing and walking away.

"I have a vault?" Harry asked confused.  
His mother nodded. "Yes. Lily and James Potter were rather wealthy and you inherited all their money. Professor McGonagall gave us the key when she brought you to us and we have been keeping it save until you are old enough to have the control over it."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other wide eyed. He was rich!  
"We are rich!" he said to his sister excitedly but she shook her head. "No. _You_ are, Harry.  
"Don't be stupid Hermione! You are my sister and we have shared everything as long as I can remember! I won't stop with it now! What's mine is yours!" He said decidedly and to emphasise his point he went to stand next to his father who was already talking to the Goblin at the exchange counter.

With a faint smile Elisabeth Granger put a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder who was shocked at her brother's passionate reaction.  
She had never been prouder of her children than in that moment.


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for reading! Remember I don't own any of the characters or the world, this great honour belongs solely to the great J.K. Rowling.

I would love to hear your guesses in which house(s) they are going to be sorted into!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Can we _please_ go to the book store now?" Hermione pleaded while Harry looked at his parents with dog's eyes.

They had spent what seemed like forever at 'Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' and both kids had been fidgety the whole time longing to finally explore Flourish & Blotts. Keith Granger sighed and gave his wife a knowing look. _Those kids and books._ Like every time the family went to a book store it was going to be a drama. The two children always found at least ten books they wanted to buy in a matter of minutes and when Keith or Elisabeth limited them to two books each it took them forever to decide. And it never passed off without a lot of pleading and bargaining from Harry and Hermione to _maybe_ just _this once_ being allowed to buy a third book because it was _just too hard_ to decide.

"Alright, we'll go to the bookstore but first listen up." He started and both kids' faces lit up in anticipation already knowing what was to follow. They secretly loved bargaining with their parents just as much as the new books. "Before you go wandering off through the store we have to get your school books. Harry, you already have most of them from Lily but there are two new books on this list here. When we are finished with your school books you have 30 minutes to browse. Each of you will get two books as always. We have a lot more to do today so if you haven't decided after those 30 minutes you won't get any. Understood?" He explained with a stern expression but had to concentrate really hard to keep it up when he saw both his kids' shocked faces. "30 minutes?" Harry exclaimed while Hermione already tried to negotiate. "But that won't be enough time to even _see_ everything! Let alone decide on only two books! Can't we have two hours? One?" They looked close to tears.

"You heard your father." Elisabeth intervened. "30 minutes and that's it. And Harry: Don't buy any more Potions books."

With that she took Harry by the hand and started walking having Keith follow her with Hermione. The siblings immediately went from bargaining with their parents to discussing a strategy to cover as much ground as possible. They had long before figured out that deciding on four books for the both of them to share was the best strategy but now they had to go through a whole book store with a completely unexplored selection of topics and authors in only 30 minutes.

When the family stepped through the doors to 'Flourish & Blotts' though, they both fell silent immediately their mouths agape.

"So. Many. Books." Hermione whispered feeling like she just stepped onto holy ground. This had to be what heaven looked like! Harry was no less impressed but his eyes were fixated on a sign that marked the section on potions. Oh, if he could just get his hands on some of those glorious volumes!

Luckily for them an employee stepped up to them and asked "First year of Hogwarts? Right over here." and led them to a corner where different stacks of books were already prepared. Keith noticed his children's longing gazes and sighed. _Let the games begin._ "Oh, alright you two. Go off! But remember: two books, 30 minutes!"

XXX

"Please, muuuum. I heard someone say that it was really, really good!" Harry pleaded, seriously considering falling on his knees. He was met with a stern look telling him it wouldn't be a good idea but he couldn't stop himself from continuing. "I could pay for it with my own money, from the vault I mean."

"Harry Granger!" _Oh, oh_. That was never a good sign. "I told you before we came in here: No book about Potions! And you won't touch that money until your 17th birthday, do you understand me?" Hermione slightly nudged him giving him a look that seemed to say 'Back down, idiot!'

"Sorry, mum. I was overexcited. I'll bring it back." His head down he went back to the potions section and put the book back in its place. With a last longing look he turned to walk back. A very careful listener could have heard a silent but determined promise though: "I'll be back for you!"

Leaving Flourish & Blotts Hermione was so happy she wanted to skip but seeing that her brother was really disappointed kept her from actually doing it.  
"Don't worry Harry. You'll probably get one for Christmas. And you still have 'Asiatic Anti-Venoms' to read!" That thought slightly cheered him up but he forgot all about his disappointment when they entered the apothecary. He ran around the room over the moon to finally see all the potion ingredients he had read so much about in real life. While he closely looked at unicorn hair and dried roots Hermione and their parents went up to the counter and bought two sets of standard potions ingredients for Hogwarts first years. When they were done and wanted to leave Harry was currently looking at bezoars and only a stern look from his mother kept him from protesting.  
They then went on to buy cauldrons, parchments and quills, telescopes and scales until they stood in front of 'Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC'.

When they were about to enter though the door was pushed open from the inside and a tall man with long blond hair and a sour expression on his pale face strutted out of the store nearly knocking over Elisabeth. Without as much as a glance in their direction he purposefully strode towards 'Madame Malkin's'.  
"How rude!" Hermione called out angrily but her father pulled at her hand and slightly shook his head. He had dealt with arrogant people like that often enough in his job to know that they wouldn't care.  
The man was followed by a beautiful woman and a boy that seemed around the Granger kids' age. He had hair so blond it was almost white and cold grey eyes that seemed to pierce through Hermione when he looked at her. His gaze moved to Harry and seemed to analyse him. All this happened without the boy even stopping and when he moved past them he sneered and coughed. "Pathetic."

Harry lunged at the other boy furious that he would insult his sister like that but was held back by her. "Leave him, Harry. He probably doesn't know any better and if he does he's not worth it."

"But he insulted you!" he protested.

"I'll get over it. Now come on, don't you rather want to buy your wand instead of fighting with him?" This got Harry's attention. Hermione didn't seem to care and he knew she was right. Judging by the way the man – clearly the boy's father – had brushed past them he hadn't taught his son respect for strangers, so how was he supposed to know any better. This logical consideration calmed him down again and focused his attention back on the shop they were in front of.

Their parents, who had waited silently, ready to intervene if necessary, now motioned towards it. "Are you ready to go in?" Keith asked. When both children nodded he pushed the door open.

They all entered but almost immediately wanted to leave again. "It doesn't look very...reputable." Elisabeth carefully said upon examining the dusty room.  
The walls were covered with shelves that were filled with hundreds of oblong boxes stacked atop each other. The only furniture was an old dusty chair by the door and a counter on top of which stood a register, a grimy gas lamp and a vase filled with dried flowers.  
"Hello?" Keith carefully called out. When no one answered he went up to the counter in order to look for a bell to ring.

Finding non he turned back to his family shrugging at a loss what to do just as an old man appeared behind the counter.  
"Aaaah, a young witch and wizard in need of their first wand, yes?" Keith whirled around startled by the voice. At a loss for words he merely nodded. "Good afternoon. Who of you wants to go first?" He asked pulling out a tape measure. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and Harry motioned Hermione to go first so she stepped forward nervously waiting what the odd man would proceed to do.  
He measured the most peculiar distances – even between her nostrils – while asking different questions about her life and her personality. Keith and Elisabeth stood near the window warily observing the proceedings. Ollivander now busily collected different boxes from the shelves muttering to himself and finally dropped them on the counter.

He carefully opened one and took out a simple wand. "Walnut and unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, fairly bendy." He explained handing it to her.

Hermione hesitantly took it and waved it around a bit. A stack of boxes on the left wall was blown out of the shelf violently causing the wandmaker to snatch the piece of wood from her hand. "A big definite no."  
Three disastrous tries later he handed her a beautiful wand that was adorned with a vine tendril climbing around it. As soon as she touched it a bright light engulfed the girl and red and yellow sparks flew from the tip of the wand. Ollivander clapped enthusiastically and cheered. When the light subsided Hermione had a huge grin on her face.

"That was amazing!"

Ollivander nodded and explained: "The wand chooses the wizard or witch, you know, not the other way around. That's what that was. Your wand here is a beautiful piece: vine wood and a dragon heartstring core, ten and three-quarter inches. Rather powerful. One of my favourite pieces of late."

Hermione beamed and only reluctantly handed her new wand back to Mr Ollivander who carefully placed it in its box and turned to Harry.

"Now to you, Mr Potter." he said getting his tape measure out again but he was startled by a heated response he didn't expect.

"That's not my name!" Harry had burst out losing his manners over his indignation he very well knew was only a mask for his insecurity. He was a Granger through and through!

Mr Ollivander looked rattled.

"I apologize. I assumed you knew..."

Again he was interrupted.

"I know about my birthparents and the evil wizard but my name is not Potter anymore, it's Granger. This is my family now." He added gesturing towards his sister and parents.

Hermione took this as her key and stepped next to him putting her hand soothingly on his shoulder.

"I understand. I apologise again, Mr Granger." The old man said with a knowing look in his eyes.

With Hermione's calming touch Harry regained his temper feeling rather sorry for his outburst.

"It's alright; you had no way of knowing." He said softly and held out his arm for it to be measured.

While Hermione's wand had found her at her fifth try, it took Harry 18 wands until he finally found his. The moment he touched it he felt warmth and comfort spread through him and without thinking about it he softly waved it towards the dried flowers.  
They immediately regained their health, blossoming in a beautiful intense yellow that seemed to brighten the whole store. If one would have paid attention they could have seen Ollivander's eyes widen at this in surprise as he had seen a certain red haired muggle-born do the exact same thing when buying her first wand.

Harry, ignorant of this, grinned from one ear to the other, feeling so happy he thought he would float away any moment. His sister squeaked in delight and rushed to the counter to inspect the flowers more closely while Keith proudly laid his arm around his wife and Mr Ollivander smiled looking like his thoughts were somewhere completely else.

When he spoke his voice sounded deep. "You seem to be quite a talented young man, Mr Granger. Just as your sister here." He looked like he had wanted to say something different but had thought better of it. "I suspect you will both do very well at Hogwarts."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Both felt like they were so happy they could burst.

The boy looked at the wand at his hand. It had a darker colour than his sister's, it was almost black, and was simpler but the wood looked elegant. "What is it made of, Mr Ollivander?" he asked the wandmaker.

"It too has a dragon heart-string core, like your sister's here, but the wood is ebony. With its' thirteen and a half inches it's long but not unusually so. It is very good for Transfiguration or combative magic." The old man explained taking the wand from Harry, placing it back in its box and putting the box and the one with Hermione's wand in a simple black paper back.  
After Keith had paid him Mr Ollivander shook all of their hands goodbye but when they were about to leave he kneeled in front of Harry and Hermione and looked them deep in their eyes. "Take care of each other. A bond this strong between siblings is rare and should be cherished above all. I wish you all the luck in the world." Both children were baffled by this unsure how to respond. The man just didn't seem like the type to say something like that but they seemed to have struck up a memory of his. "T-thank you." Harry managed to get out and when he blinked the shop-owner had gotten up and went into the back of the store without another word.

The Granger children spent the next month reading their new books. They both got up early in the mornings – even Harry was so excited about all the things to learn that he didn't sleep in – had breakfast and spent the day outside reading. They already knew most of their new textbooks as they had read Lily's examples multiple times but the Astronomy and History of Magic books were new to them. They had also chosen 'Hogwarts: A history', a more extensive description of the wizarding world's history, a guide to wizarding society and 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' as their four additional books. By the end of August they could practically recite all their books on magic or the wizarding world by heart.

On their last evening before leaving for Hogwarts the whole family sat snuggled together on the couch taking guesses in which houses Harry and Hermione would be sorted until the two kids fell asleep leaning against each other.


End file.
